Hannah Arendt, 1906-1975

Modernity to Postmodernity:

Week Four

Dr Craig Hammond (UCBC)

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975)

MAJOR WORKSThe Jew as Pariah: A Hidden Tradition

(1944).The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951).The Human Condition (1958).Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the

Banality of Evil (1963).On Revolution (1963).On Violence (1970).The Life of the Mind (1975).

Arendt: Basic Concepts

• Self / concert– Subject > Subject (not Subject ↔ Object)

• Expressive Action• Communicative Action• Freedom & Space• Natality• Totalitarianism

THINKING WITHOUT A BANISTER

ANTI-FOUNDATIONALISMAccording to Arendt philosophy is not about

epistemology, but about politics (vita activa: active life).

Many philosophers impose their standards of truth upon politics.

This totalitarian way of thinking negates the plurality of lifestyles and cultures.

Therefore, thinking without a banister (Denken ohne Geländer) means that there is not a fixed foundation upon

which to base thinking.

Subject > Subject > Subject > Subject

• Central to Arendt’s framework, is a replacement of the traditional distinction between the subject-object dichotomy

• She attempts to sketch out a distinctive and humanistic alternative: One of inter-subjectivity or a subject-subject approach.– What do you understand buy this?

Subject > Subject > Subject > Subject

• For Arendt, the “self” (subject) remains a separate entity, but when individuals are brought together…

• … within an arena of freedom – they can unite to achieve unprecedented collective action

• Emphasising the human ability not just to act, but to act in concert.

Vita Activa: Active Life

• The pluralistic-diversity of human character, gives rise to the challenge of establishing a coherent and yet “free” community

• The possibility of community is never simply given or essential to human beings but must, rather, be built by speech and action.”

• To begin to move towards a new political environment, Arendt argues that two types of political action should be nurtured:

Vita Activa: Active Life

1. Expressive action - is an “agonistic” (or struggle) model which is quite existentialist in nature. Action within this model is concerned with an exploration of within – a process of self-discovery.

2. Communicative (or narrative) action – suggests a democratic organisation of collective-selves, people communicating externally to others – creating the ideas for a new

community.

Natality• And space

Natality & Space

• Central to Arendt’s promotion of a new Political “Action” is the idea of Birth (or natality). The space that serves to create new forms of expression and action, also serves to “give birth” to a new politics.

• In Arendt’s opinion, a sign of “modern times” is that we have forgotten the genuine “natality” of political action

Totalitarianism

• Totalitarian regimes can be remedied by the action of freedom - announcing human birth, and the capacity for beginning again.

• When a human acts politically (in concert, in revolution), they enlarge the field of political experience, and create the reality of freedom.

• The initiator of action experiences a kind of “second birth” and takes their place on the stage of the public world